Glossary

Key terms, with Gurmukhi and a plain definition. Each is cited.

Amrit ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ · amrit

The sweetened water, stirred with a double-edged sword while five banis are recited, used in the Khalsa initiation ceremony. Literally 'nectar' or 'immortality-giving'.

Ardas ਅਰਦਾਸ · ardās

The formal Sikh supplication, recited standing at the close of any service or undertaking. It recalls the Gurus and the martyrs in turn before making any request, and ends by asking for the welfare of all.

Granthi ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀ · granthī

The custodian and reader of the Guru Granth Sahib in a gurdwara. Not a priest: Sikhism has no ordained clergy, and any competent Sikh, woman or man, may perform the role.

Gurdwara ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ · gurduārā

The Sikh place of worship — literally 'doorway to the Guru' — housing the Guru Granth Sahib and open to people of any background. Almost every gurdwara runs a langar.

Hukam ਹੁਕਮ · hukam

The divine order or will — the principle that all creation moves within it, and that accepting it is the mark of spiritual maturity. Also the daily randomly-opened reading from the Guru Granth Sahib (the hukamnama).

Khalsa ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ · khālsā

The collective body of initiated Sikhs, established by Guru Gobind Singh on Vaisakhi 1699, bound by a common code of conduct and identity.

Kirtan ਕੀਰਤਨ · kīrtan

The devotional singing of scripture, central to Sikh worship. The Guru Granth Sahib is itself arranged by raag, the melodic framework to which each hymn is set.

Langar ਲੰਗਰ · laṅgar

The free community kitchen attached to a gurdwara, where a meal is cooked by volunteers and served to all who come, seated together as equals. Founded in Guru Nanak's time, it embodies equality and selfless service.

Miri-Piri ਮੀਰੀ ਪੀਰੀ · mīrī-pīrī

The Sikh doctrine that temporal authority (miri) and spiritual authority (piri) are held together, embodied by Guru Hargobind's two swords and the raising of the Akal Takht.

Nishan Sahib ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਸਾਹਿਬ · niśān sāhib

The saffron flag flown at every gurdwara, bearing the khanda emblem. It marks the building as a place where anyone may find food and shelter, and is ceremonially replaced each year at Vaisakhi.

Nitnem ਨਿਤਨੇਮ · nitnem

The daily discipline — the set of prayers a Sikh is expected to read each day, at dawn, in the evening and before sleep. Literally 'daily practice'.

Panj Pyare ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ · pañj piāre

The Five Beloved — the five Sikhs who offered their lives at Guru Gobind Singh's call in 1699 and became the first initiates of the Khalsa. Five initiated Sikhs administering amrit today act in their name.

Seva ਸੇਵਾ · sevā

Selfless service, performed without expectation of reward or recognition — an obligation in Sikh teaching rather than an optional virtue, and most visible in the running of langar.

Takht ਤਖ਼ਤ · takhat

A seat of temporal authority in Sikhism. There are five: the Akal Takht at Amritsar, established by Guru Hargobind in 1606, and four others. Edicts binding on the Panth are issued from them.

Vaisakhi ਵੈਸਾਖੀ · vaisākhī

The spring harvest festival of the Punjab, and the date Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699. It is the most widely observed date in the Sikh year, marked in April.

Waheguru ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ · vāhigurū

The most common Sikh name for God — an expression of wonder at the divine, used in meditation (simran) and greeting.